Lost Him, Found Me
by akiko-dono
Summary: A one shot for Sam and Jack after Jacob's death. Just read it! M for later chapters. Okay, well it was a one shot, but it's developed into more. But if you're interested, go ahead and read!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. At all. Just thought u should know that! Wait, actually this story is mine, and that's all.

**Why I wrote it:** I'm not sure why I'm obsessive compulsive about Sam and Pete breaking up and how Sam and Jack handle it, but I just love it! So here's my latest version of how it could've happened. I like this one a lot…and I hope you will, too!

**Spoilers: ** I don't think any of us don't know yet that Sam and Pete are OVER and sniffle Jacob is dead…so yeah, that's where this picks up.

**Key: **_"text " _ thoughts

'_**text '** _ Jacob's voice in Sam's head

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Sam had never been more relieved to be off duty. Jacob Carter was dead. General, father, and friend all put to an end in the same hospital. The next day, Sam had called Pete to meet her at the house. Not "her" house. Not "their" house. The house. Somehow, Pete had always known it wouldn't work. Hearing her say it was just harder than he'd expected it to be. But it wasn't right for her. So Sam had stopped it. If she'd waited there a little longer, she'd have seen a black truck pull into the driveway. The man wasn't looking at the real estate sign, but rather he wanted to see the place she would live. For the rest of her life. With him. Jack sat on the bench under the tree and threw a rock from the landscaping into the empty street.

"Lucky bastard."

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Sam pulled into her own driveway and clicked it in park, lingering in the seat a bit longer. She needed to be alone. She picked her cell phone up from the cup holder and turned it off. She didn't care there were three missed calls. Sam Carter wanted to be just that: Sam Carter. Not Colonel. Not Sammie. Not a fiancé. Just a woman with a broken heart.

Carter closed the door behind her and hung up her jacket. Knowing she should eat something, she opened a blue Jell-O cup and searched for a spoon. After a few mouthfuls, all she could do was cry. Her father was dead after the best four years of their relationship. Her ex-finance probably hated her by now. So she was entirely alone. She tried to compose herself, but the deep breaths she took only evoked more tears.

Miniature rivers ran down her face in hot, wet, streams. Never had she been so sad in her adult life. The only time she'd ever felt so alone was at her mother's funeral as a child. Damn it all, she was crying. She _hated_ crying. It made her feel weak. And useless. Pathetic, even. She brought herself together enough to start the shower and exchange her clothes for a robe. As she stepped into the water, she heard her father's voice in her head.

'_**You should be happy, Sam...'**_

A bitter thought escaped her throat as she yelled at the air. "Easy for you to say, you're with Mom now. The man I love doesn't even know it." Sam surprised herself with how easy those few words came out. She…she loved him. That's why it didn't work with Pete. Then she remembered the second part. He didn't know. He couldn't know. Because if he did, they'd both lose everything that seemed important. Maybe even each other.

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Jack didn't know how long he sat on that bench, but it took him at least an hour or two to fully appreciate the sunset. And notice the house was "For Sale". No, this was to be the newlywed's happy home. Why the hell would it be fore sale? Unless she broke it off. No, Sam wouldn't do that. She was probably snuggling close to Pete as he reached for another tissue. A spiteful thought, yes, and one he didn't mean in the slightest, but it was probably true. But even as he let the subject drop in his mind, he had a nagging feeling that Sam was free. That that damned ring was finally off her finger. Which meant he had some thinking to do, with good beer and a good friend. He pulled his cell out of his pocket and hit "3" on the speed dial.

"Hello?"

"Daniel? It's Jack. How's about meeting me at O'Malley's ASAP?"

"Uh…sure. Should I call Teal'c or is this just a you-and-me thing?"

"It involves Sam and Pete. Or lack thereof."

"What? You're cutting in and out, sorry could you say—"

"Look, just get to O'Malley's as fast as you can, and I don't care if T tags along. How's that?"

"I'm in the area, I'll be there shortly."

"Good!" He closed his phone and headed for his car. Daniel sometimes…

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When Daniel arrived at O'Malley's, without Teal'c, Jack had a beer in front of him and one in front of an empty chair to his left. Daniel climbed up to the bar and picked up the bottle, surprised to find it empty. He eyed Jack, "How many of these have you had, Jack?"

"Just that and a sip or two of this one."

"Which means you're thinking," Jack took another swig as Daniel talked, "About what?"

No answer. Daniel tried again. "Or who?"

Jack just looked at him. "Sam," Daniel answered his own question knowingly.

"Yeah. Sam." He set his beer down, half drained.

Daniel ordered himself one and drank a bit, waiting for him to explain. Jack turned to his curious friend.

"I drove over to her house today."

"So?"

"No, not _her_ house…the one Pete bought for the."

"Okay…so?"

Jack sipped. "It's for sale."

Daniel nearly did a spit take, instead swallowing the threatening sip of beer. "It's what?"

"For Sale. Meaning it will not be housing Peter and Samantha Shanahan."

"Any idea why?"

Jack started peeling the label off his beer, then looking at Daniel, somewhat amused with himself. "I think she's keeping her maiden name."

Daniel's eyes opened wider. "You think she broke it off."

"I'm hoping so."

"Well, in any case, you should talk to her. Jacob's death hit her a lot harder than she'll ever admit, Jack."

"You talk to her about it?"

"Yeah, a little."

Jack was slightly jealous of Daniel. Sam always felt okay with talking to Daniel, but he was something entirely different.

"She's always been able to talk to you easily," he finally replied.

"That's because she's not in love with me, Jack."

Jack stared at him as Daniel sipped the last of his beer. He looked at Jack.

"Like you didn't know that."

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Sam turned the water hotter in the shower, trying to make herself feel something other than heartbreak, even if it meant physical pain. After a few minutes of scalding heat, she shut the water off and climbed out of the shower, towel drying her hair before shaking the rest of the water out. Sam put her purple, silky robe on, feeling it cling to her damp skin. How that the shower was off, she realized the soft melody of rain on her window come to a crescendo, the wind blowing the rain harder in occasional gusts. No sooner had she closed her bedroom door did the doorbell ring. Making sure her robe was tied shut; she walked to the front, not believing who was there.

Standing in the rain was a man in boots, jeans, a blue button up shirt and a wet, brown leather jacket. His hair was graying, and his posture was perfect. The only thing missing was the usual twinkle in his pensive brown eyes. Jack O'Neill was the last person Sam had expected to find on her doorstep. Jack looked equally surprised to be standing there. He adjusted his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and rocked on his heels, nodding slightly to himself. She finally broke the silence.

"Sir?"

His voice was rough at first. "Hey, Carter. Came to see if you were okay."

She was in silent shock, so he continued to speak.

"So are you okay?" Nothing. "Good…yep, coming was a bad idea," he walked away from her and rounded his truck, walking by the passenger door as Sam felt time stop. He'd finally come to her. After all the time they'd danced around how they felt, he was here. At her house. Wanting to be with her when she needed him most.

'You should be happy…' 

'_Damn the regs. For once, I'm doing what _I _want to do. What I _need_ to do.'_

Time resumed, as she called for him, nearly inaudible.

"Jack, wait. Don't…"

But he did hear her. He stood in front of the passenger side of his black truck, the water beading on its ebony surface, running into streams on the driveway. The lavender silk robe clung to Sam's body as she ran out to him, feeling the cool water affirm her decision as it dripped off her.

"Carter, it's raining. Get inside—"

"No."

He looked at her quizzically. "No?"

"No," she said with more force this time as she stepped closer to him, trying to put what she wanted into words, and having no such luck doing so. In a moment of boldness, she touched her palm to his face, his wet skin smooth beneath her finger. As he looked at her more intently, she removed it, looking at the ground and then back at him. "Don't, Jack. Please don't—"

"Don't what?" He chanced running his hand through her wet hair.

She closed her eyes at his touch, then opening them to let her tears mingle with the rain. She couldn't wait for this any longer.

"Just don't."

Sam brought herself closer to him and softly kissed the lips that had ordered her every day for the past nine years. And all of those days, this is what she'd wanted to do. What they'd both needed so badly. She knew that now. Surprised but not at all objected, Jack kissed her back once before she pulled away slightly, as if remembering their circumstance slightly. She rubbed his nose with hers, as her hands became fists at her sides.

"Don't leave me here alone, Jack. Please."

He nodded. "Okay."

Sam rested her hand behind his neck, her fingers sneaking into his hair. Jack realized this was his last chance. She finally wanted him just like he'd wanted her ever since they'd met. There was no way he was going to lose her again. His arms encircled her fast; Sam rubbed her leg against him. As his head came closer to hers, she nodded, leaning heavily against his truck.

"Okay."

That simple word from her made him crazy. He took hold of her mouth with his own, crushing her lips in a hot kiss. Sam smiled at his passion; answered him with the same fury, causing his bottom lip to catch between hers. Jack lifted her by the thigh and Sam let him kiss her neck. The rain fell harder as her breath ran short. He was fascinated with the skin below her right ear. As he moved lower, she held him to her collarbone, pressing herself against him. Sam wasn't sure what made her shiver more, the rain or Jack's kiss, but he felt her body shake and simply held her. Their eyes locked, and she could see the worry and the want in his brown, thoughtful eyes. He touched his hand to her cheek, unable to say anything though his mind was racing, even more so when she kept his hand on her with her own.

'What's wrong? Does she not want me here anymore? What the hell was that, anyway? What about Pete? What about the house? What about that kiss? Was it only what I want? Is she too emotional to be thinking clearly…yeah, right. Carter. Emotional thinker. But what about…then why did she stop? Did I do something wrong—"

"You wanna go inside?" she kissed the inside of his palm.

Jack looked at her with deep care and concern, fascinated at how she could silence his mind with a handful of words. Not knowing what else to say, he looked in her eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes. He'd never seen that glint before. He'd never known through experience what it was like to hold her. And somehow he knew that tonight would be a hard night to forget. Or, for that matter, to leave unfinished. He found his voice and answered her question.

"Okay."

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There's more where that came from! But you hafta read and review before it goes up as Chapter 2, okay? Good! So click the pretty little button at the bottom. You know you want to. Do it. I dare you.

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Don'tcha hate that you scrolled all the way down here for just this? Anyway, just review already!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Wow! I'm overwhelmed by all the reviews: I LOVE IT! Maybe I should do the scroll down thing a little more often…oh well, just thank you to all you who did what I said and REVIEWED and so without further ado, here's the next chapter. I think I might change the rating to M. I'm not sure. So just be warned that this part of the fic is T/M. So be "mature". waits for laughter See, I'm funny. M. Mature. no laughs Whatever. Here we go.

**Disclaimer:** Aren't mine, but if I may have some say in the matter…WTF is up with this new season right now? All this time of waiting for Sam and Jack and we find out SG-1 is BROKEN UP and we haven't seen one bit of good S/J yet? You writers better clean up your act…

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He touched his hand to her cheek, unable to say anything though his mind was racing, even more so when she kept his hand on her with her own.

'What's wrong? Does she not want me here anymore? What the hell was that, anyway? What about Pete? What about the house? What about that kiss? Was it only what I want? Is she too emotional to be thinking clearly…yeah, right. Carter. Emotional thinker. But what about…then why did she stop? Did I do something wrong—"

"You wanna go inside?" she kissed the inside of his palm.

Jack looked at her with deep care and concern, fascinated at how she could silence his mind with a handful of words. Not knowing what else to say, he looked in her eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes. He'd never seen that glint before. He'd never known through experience what it was like to hold her. And somehow he knew that tonight would be a hard night to forget. Or, for that matter, to leave unfinished. He found his voice and answered her question.

"Okay."

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Sam led him inside, feeling more than slightly awkward. A minute ago they were so…connected, but now she was fully aware of how…how uncalled for her actions were. Had it felt right? Completely. Had he wanted it, too? She could feel the answer to that the entire time. Yes. Definitely yes. But now in the dim light of her entryway, she felt suddenly self-conscious about how her robe clung to her curves, accenting every part of her. Sam didn't even know why she invited him in anymore. All it was was trouble…she needed to buy herself some time.

Sam was about to excuse herself to change, but Jack pressed her against the door. He kissed her quickly, fighting himself to pull away as she answered his lips. Sam wondered why he'd done what he had, but was eternally grateful for it. Her whole mind got quiet when he kissed her, a nice change from the usual chaos inside. Jack looked at her, still partially concerned. He needed to know what she was thinking, and she was inside herself when they'd come in her house. Now he had her full attention. And they both knew it.

"What's going on, Sam?"

"I think that's kind of obvious, sir—"

"No, it's not. Especially since you just called me 'sir' after…after what just happened," he tripped over the question he wanted to ask in his mind, knowing he shouldn't and so going back to default. What had always come between them before?

"What about the regs, Sam?"

"I don't care anymore."

"Your father?" he chanced getting personal, his real question still longing to be out in the open air, but he surpressed it. He was not going to ask her that.

"He told me to be happy, Jack. I thought you'd understand that—"

"Happy? Then where the hell is PETE? You were always so damn happy with him, weren't ya?"

She wasn't sure if it was the close proximity in which their faces still were or the fact that he'd finally shown some emotion about Pete that made the tears start to fall, but the hurt in his eyes was unbearable. The pain in which he'd accentuated those words killed something inside her. Struggling to keep her voice steady, she shot her left hand up by her face, the back of her hand facing him. His eyes changed before she'd even said a word.

"Do you see a ring?"

Jack's eyes softened even more as he reached for her hand. He took it in his own and slowly rubbed his thumb across where the ring should've been. Where it was clearly written for all this time that she belonged to Pete. Now she was free. Jack had always called her "his girl", but now he knew he actually had a shot at this. A thousand words were exchanged in a single glance at her teary eyes, and he knew he'd struck a nerve inside them both. For here, they couldn't hide behind anything. There was no SGC, there was no Pete, there was no turning back, and there were no ranks. It was just Sam and Jack. And he wasn't sure what to make of that. All he knew what how much he liked the sound of it. The silence grew awkward as Jack made his way out of himself, trying to ignore the single tear running down his face. He didn't know he was speaking until he heard his own voice trying to sort it all out.

"What…how did…why?"

Sam knew in that moment how much she loved him. What had seemed so hard was actually quite simple. She had to be with him, or she would die inside. Jack brought out parts to her she never knew existed. Pete was mediocre. He was what she settled for when she thought she could never have Jack. But she was wrong. Sam had always had Jack. His heart had been in her hands for so long now…she'd just never seen it…he was the one she wanted. Plain and simple. And nothing should stop that. She looked back at Jack, wanting the conversation to just end already, as she didn't know if he expected an answer to his makeshift question. She drew in a raspy breath, ready to finally be open. She told him the truth. Sort of.

"Pete…Pete deserves to marry a woman who doesn't love someone else."

Every drop of anger and frustration left Jack as he felt her eyes pierce him. One more step and they'd be intimate. One more step and he'd feel complete. The distance of a few inches had never seemed so great, so impassable. But Jack liked challenges, especially ones he knew he could succeed in. This challenge was won before it began. He took that final step; Sam involuntarily pressed harder against the door, hoping she knew what was coming. He dropped his head onto hers, softly murmuring to her before their lips touched. His final order before the people they used to be were lost forever.

"Kiss me, Carter."

Sam obeyed. Every second their lips touched made it infinitely easier to forget everything but Jack. The pain seemed to fade as they both breathed heavier. _'God, don't let him stop now.'_ A prayer had never been answered that quickly for her. She opened her mouth to his questing tongue; Jack parted her thighs with his knee in an attempt to be closer to her. All it did was give her more fire behind her kiss, to which he had no objection. She slid his jacket off his arms, then focusing on the buttons of his shirt. Never before had she found buttons so damn difficult. He smirked at her, helping her with the last few before the shirt met the ground, quickly accompanied by his shoes and socks, Sam not pausing to let him do so. There was no going back now, no stopping, and they both knew it. They both loved it.

Sam wasn't sure how they got to her bedroom, but before she knew what was happening, she felt her soft mattress cut into her thighs, Jack's arms encircling her as she fumbled with his pants. As they fell to the ground, he propped himself above her on the bed, looking at this beautiful woman, who was way too good for him and much too smart to be doing this, and knowing she was his. Sam grabbed at his head, bringing it down on her lips and pulling him into the most passionate kiss he'd ever had. He tried to untie her silken robe, which clung to her body because of sweat as well as rain. It felt good when he started to peel the robe away from her skin. It felt more than good, it was fantastic. Jack seemed like he knew exactly what he was doing; when in reality he was simply admiring every inch of her. As the robe parted from her entirely, she felt herself grabbing for him again.

"Jack, don't…please don't now."

He smirked at her, finally knowing what to say. "Damn it, Sam, what do you want? Don't leave, don't stop…just don't…what do you want me _to_ do?"

She breathed heavily once, not missing a beat. "Make love to me?"

Jack was surprised at how easily the phrase rolled off her lips. He'd thought about this moment for near nine years, knowing he wanted to show her how much he did love her. He'd never said it, but she knew. She knew. Sweat dripped off her like the rain outside, but as he pulled the sheet on top of them, she'd never felt more content. There was finally nothing between them but themselves. Skin against skin wherever they touched. Jack kissed her everywhere, his lips leaving another type of wetness on her body. It awakened everything inside her so quickly, she felt herself involuntarily shaking as his hands found her breasts. She kissed him to steady herself, finding even more reason to shudder as she did so. He finally ran his fingers down her sides, tracing her hipbone as he ventured further down. Her skin was like lotion he couldn't absorb, but he tried. She could feel his want in the humid air.

He ran his fingers down the insides of her legs, knowing they both couldn't wait much longer. She kissed the first part of him she found; she thought it was his shoulder, in encouragement. His smell was enough to make her dizzy, but the taste of him only drove her harder on. Jack's hand curled in the small of her back, supporting her in a near-seated position. Her fingers caught in his hair, their eyes locked, and one of them gasped into the other's open mouth.

And then it happened. Everything inside her exploded with desire at the sensation of it all. Breathing was difficult, but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything right then. It was Jack she was with. And Jack was the only thing on her mind. Her mouth opened to a soft groan as he slid closer to her; he felt their hips crash against each other and her hands grip the muscles in his arms. Somehow, she brought herself closer, and Jack shuddered. The hardened soldier she loved was shaking at her touch. The power she felt…and yet at the same time how helpless, was amazing. She'd tried to stay still, but it was all too much for her now. She moved up and down slightly, all the time moving closer, killing the previous ignorance of it being possible. Every time her lungs heaved, a small moan was accompanied with it. A high, breathless sound that was music to his waiting ears.

Sam had been spent for a long while, but she still needed more. The burning pain felt so good…she thirsted for him. She'd been thirsty for much too long…now she would drink her fill. Jack was content to just look at her. Her half lidded eyes fluttering when she moved, her open mouth gasping, the crinkle by her eyes as she tried to hold out just a moment longer every second. He kissed her softly, adding to the effect so much that she fell backward. Jack moved a pillow underneath her dripping wet head as he continued to try and comprehend how she could get to him so easily, and touch him so deep. Every part of him was crying her name, and his lips softly gave voice to the silent call.

"Carter…"

"It's…it's Sam." Talking was even harder than breathing. But it felt good. The pain was just below unbearable.

"Sam…I've never said it…but…damn, I love you so much."

She nodded her head furiously, tears starting again. "I know…I know."

He moved to kiss her and they both spoke. "Good."

"I know, Jack."

His lips caught between hers as his breath trembled inside her mouth. She nosed him away slightly, just giving herself enough space to speak, trying to get enough breath to not gasp in the middle of this. She wanted it to be perfect. "I…I love you, too."

Now Jack nodded. "I knew that, too."

"Okay, good."

He smiled at her, captured in her beauty. Jack felt the pain now, too. It was beautiful, but it needed to end. He moved away from her, giving her back the air she'd needed for the past forever at all the same time. He collapsed on top of her, and she ran her fingers down his back and through his hair. He moved a strand of her own out of her face and kissed her gently. As he lay beside her, all she did was move closer. Drowsiness met the two after the sweetest of kisses, leaving Jack's arms securely around her. And she loved it. She rubbed her head against him once before her eyes closed, knowing what he was thinking in his last moments before sleep.

"I'm glad you stayed, too."

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Okay so it definitely goes to M now. So because I did this…REVIEW and I won't do the zero thing! And maybe you'll get the morning after scene, too…


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **You guys are awesome with this reviewing thing! So although I changed the rating to M for the last chapter (so wouldn't kill me… :D) I'm pretty sure it's mainly going to be for that chapter. Depends on how long this thing goes on for. I'm thinking I'll just keep writing it until I run out of ideas. Sound good? Alrighty then! Keep those reviews coming, btw!

**Disclaimer:** Do we have to go through this again? I don't own them. So get over it, you writers! I know they're yours. I'm just gonna borrow them for a little while, okay? You'll get 'em back…eventually…besides something tells me they like my story line a little bit better right now, so BACK OFF!

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_Previous:_

He moved a strand of her own out of her face and kissed her gently. As he lay beside her, all she did was move closer. Drowsiness met the two after the sweetest of kisses, leaving Jack's arms securely around her. And she loved it. She rubbed her head against him once before her eyes closed, knowing what he was thinking in his last moments before sleep.

"I'm glad you stayed, too."

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Jack was the first to wake up that morning, completely confused as to where he was. He looked at the ceiling. "That's not my fan…" he whispered to himself. Then he felt someone move beside him. A female someone. A female someone with blonde hair whose head was lying on his chest. Then it all came back to him: Sam.

She really needed him last night. He never knew simple love for a person could be returned so strongly. Hell, he'd been married and he'd never felt anything like last night. He was…important. Needed. He was afraid to think what would've happened if he'd left. It was his last chance. Thank God he took it.

Not wanting to move her, he tried to get a better look at his sleeping beauty. She was sound asleep, probably resting better than she had in a long time. Jack knew he'd never been so solid in sleep since before he was military. Military. Right. It hit him that he was holding Colonel Samantha Carter, who was lightly snoring in his arms. He'd slept with his 2IC. And what did he do about it? He smirked. And softly laughed.

"Hammond would shoot us. Good thing I'm General, this seems to be its only perk."

Jack wrapped his arms around her tighter, gazing at her closed eyes. She was so beautiful. And _so_ out of his league. But she waned him. She said she loved him. How he didn't know—Jack didn't love Jack. But Sam did. Sam did with all of her heart.

Sam started to stir, being lazy and keeping her eyes closed. Then she felt an arm. And a body. And it smelled a while lot like Ja…her eyes shot open. As soon as she saw him, she remembered what happened last night. The sun was bright, and she squinted slightly before turning her head up to him. Finding approval in his eyes, she kissed him shortly.

"Good morning, Carter."

"Morning, Sir."

It came out of her mouth before she could think. When she realized what she'd said, she looked up at him, smiling. "I just called you 'sir'."

"Yes you did."

"We're in the Air Force."

"I believe so."

She chuckled slightly. "We are so dead."

"Probably."

And they laughed. All the worry, all the rules, and the pain feel away as they laughed, holding the other closer just because they could. As the amusement faded, they simply laid there, both thinking the same thing but not wanting to be the one to bring it up. Three minutes of silence passed before Jack spoke.

"This won't stay here, will it?"

"What do you mean?"

He breathed deeply. "You know what I mean, Sam."

She loved to hear him call her that. Sam pushed herself a little closer to him, resting her head against the wall he was leaning on. "We'll have to find some way to be together. I'm not okay with going back to the way things were."

If he were to pull her closer, she'd suffocate. "Me neither."

She released herself from his embrace, sliding back into bed and turning to face him, propping her head up on her palm, supporting herself with her elbow. "So now what?"

He mimicked her posture. "Well…I could retire. Again."

"No."

"You can't go, we'd all be dead. And by all I mean the whole planet."

She smiled at him. "Then I think we'll just have to be professional about it."

Jack raised an eyebrow a la Teal'c. "You mean, break the regs?"

"They're already way past broken, Jack. We'll just…hide the pieces."

"So you mean sneak around."

"Yeah."

He shook his head once. "But we can't tell anyone, can we?"

"No, probably not, seeing as that's the point of hiding it."

He exhaled. "What about Daniel and Teal'c. I think they should know—"

"I do, too, but I also don't want them to have to lie if we get caught."

"Yeah that's a free ticked to court marshal, isn't it?"

"I'd say so."

It was quiet a while. "Sam?"

"What?"

It was hard for him to say, but he had to know. The last thing Jack wanted was to put a damper on what had happened, but if it were…well damn it, he'd just have to ask her. "Last night…you didn't just…I mean, I wasn't only—"

She silenced his ramblings, vocal and mental, with a kiss.

"I wanted it. I don't regret it. And I love you," she kissed him again, a coy smile painted on her face, "Okay?"

"I still don't get the last part."

"Want help?" Was the seductive reply.

"Is that even a question, Colonel?"

"Not really. Sir."

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Short, yes, but I've got an idea for another chapter that really doesn't work off this one, it needs to be on its own, so review and maybe you'll get it!

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Okay, so I'm not gonna give you crap like the last time I did this, here's a funny little thing I was gonna write at the top but decided to write here instead:

**Tidbit:** Oh and you know what was funny? I had the radio on when I was writing this, and there was this commercial that said, "Have dreams? Let the Air Force help you get the off the ground." I just about died. From laughter I mean. :D

Now review!

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You're wondering why you did this again, aren't you? You know there's nothing of substance down here, but you have to know. The suspense is just KILLING you, eating you ALIVE isn't it? laughs HA HA HA! This is fun! Okay, I'm done now, I promise. smiles sweetly

YELLS NOW REVIEW!

…please.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone for keeping on reading this! I really appreciate it, and I hope it's worthy of LOTS of reviews!

…wow I didn't write much this time! It's a record!

Oh, and there's no _Previous:_ on this part b/c it doesn't go off that part. It's a VERY new chapter, and it starts at the SGC.

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Sam knocked on the door of Daniel's lab to announce her presence. Though the door was open, he was too caught up in a tablet to notice her. He looked up at her announcement. "Hey, Sam."

"Hey Daniel. Someone said you needed me, what's up?"

"Well," he rounded the table to get another book off his shelf, "SG-3 found this on a planet that seemed to have no presence or record of the Goa'uld, except for this tablet."

She could see the frustration in his eyes, but this stone intrigued Daniel. She entered the room, closing the door behind her. Looking over his shoulder, she squinted at the inscription.

"Looks like a derivative of Goa'uld."

"It _is_ Goa'uld," he turned the tablet over, "That is Ancient."

"One of these things is not like the other, eh?"

"That's not all. This tablet's writing suggests that the Ancients faced off with the Goa'uld and won, or at least made them back down. This seems to be some sort of peace settlement."

"I thought the Ancients were back in the Pegasus galaxy by the time the Goa'uld came to power."

"We've only speculated as much because of the lack of information or evidence proving otherwise. Actually, the myths of Atlantis have been dated back to around the times of ancient Egypt, I don't know why we haven't thought of this probability before, but—"

"Daniel." He was getting off track.

"Right," he turned back to the stone, "The part in Goa'uld says they will not intrude on the affairs of the Ancients and vice versa, but in Ancient, there is a specific gate address where the Goa'uld were not to go."

"Does it look familiar?"

"Unfortunately."

She gazed at him, waiting for his next response to her question, hopefully containing an answer.

"Well?"

"It's Baal's home world."

She shook her head once, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, when the Goa'uld found the Ancients gone, they went to the first place they weren't supposed to go. But why does this matter?"

Daniel had his head stuck in another book, and so missed the last part of her question.

"You're probably right, Sam, but that doesn't explain this part here…" he ran his finger along the last line in Ancient.

"'Knowledge and power belong to the worthy, not the selfish, ergo the address following is off-limits' and then it gives the address."

She shifted her weight, leaning on the table. "Do you think the Goa'uld attacked the Ancients to get their technology?"

"Would sure explain the knowledge metaphor in the text."

They were silent, racking their brains to solve the mystery. In a matter of minutes, Daniel had his answer. "It's not that kind of power."

"Daniel?"

"It's not power in a physical source, like might or strength, it's the power of knowledge. Power _of_ the knowledge."

"So…"

"What powers almost every kind of Ancient technology?"

Now she got it. "ZPMs."

He unclicked his pen in agreement. "ZPMs."

Daniel's hand found the table with a soft knock of success of the translation. Now what to do with it. "We have to tell Jack."

They both knew what that meant; Sam was just the one to say it.

"Oh boy…"

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"No. Absolutely not. Not happening, Daniel."

Jack had heard it all, and every word his friend had said made it infinitely easier to say no. Every question he asked brought more bad news. For example:

"Where is it?"

"Baal's home world."

"Why do we want it? Or, as the case may be, them?"

"We could help Atlantis. Explore Pegasus a little ourselves—"

"Where the Wraith are around every corner?"

"Right."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Well, define sure—"

"Daniel—"

"Relatively. Relatively sure, Jack."

He leaned on the door to his office, as Daniel had insisted on explaining everything as he walked down the halls of the SGC. "Look, Daniel, I'm sure this could be great, but there's no way in hell that I'm sending anyone, especially my best team, on a suicide mission that could quite possibly be a dead end."

"But Jack, I'm sure there's some way we can get in undetected. Now that we've got the Daedalus, we could—"

"Figure it out, talk to me then, and since SG-3 found the tablet in the first place, maybe I'll let them go."

Sam finally spoke. "That's not fair, sir, and you know it."

Jack saw the glare he was getting. The past month had been hard on them both. They'd only been able to be together once since the night at her house. And things had been extremely difficult at the SGC since Dr. Weir and the Atlantis team had come for more personnel. The president was thrilled about that one. Not to mention he'd been under the microscope since he still hadn't filled the space on SG-1 after he promised he would three months ago. And Teal'c had been at Takara more than the SGC recently ever since the rebellion was deemed successful. Things just weren't how they used to be. Or how he'd had hoped they'd be. Coming out of his thoughts, Jack answered Carter's accusation.

"I don't wanna pull rank, Carter, but I will if I have to. Now seeing as Teal'c is still away, let's let this wait until he gets back. I'm putting the remainder of SG-1 on vacation until then. You're dismissed."

Before either one could gape any longer, he was in his office, the door closed behind him.

Daniel swore under his breath as he went back to his lab to ready for vacation. Sam stayed at the closed door a bit longer than her aggravated friend, her arms crossed and teeth grinding. She thought to herself.

'_You want a fight, Jack? Then let's fight. I always win.'_

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Short, I know, but it's better than nothing, right? Also, I apologize, but this is before the current season, because it doesn't make sense with what's going on, but it's cool. Or it will be. Also, if anyone knows how to spell Daedalus, let me know, because I _know_ I spelled it wrong. NOW REVIEW!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** You guys are awesome for reviewing, and though I'm taking this in a much different direction than I thought I would, I figured it'd be fun to throw some action into the mix, because although Sam and Jack complete each other, the other thing they love is their work. So here's some fun with how two loves can get in the way of one another, but they figure it out rather quickly…

**Disclaimer:** Unneeded, truly it is, but they're not mine. So sad, but true. fake sniffles

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_Previous:_

"I don't wanna pull rank, Carter, but I will if I have to. Now seeing as Teal'c is still away, let's let this wait until he gets back. I'm putting the remainder of SG-1 on vacation until then. You're dismissed."

Before either one could gape any longer, he was in his office, the door closed behind him.

Daniel swore under his breath as he went back to his lab to ready for vacation. Sam stayed at the closed door a bit longer than her aggravated friend, her arms crossed and teeth grinding. She thought to herself.

'_You want a fight, Jack? Then let's fight. I always win.'_

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Jack opened the door to his house, sorting through the weeks of mail jammed into the box very tightly. The mail still retained its rectangular shape; it'd been in there so long. Frustrated, he tossed the stack on the counter with his keys as a flickering light caught his eye. It came from down the hall. As he walked toward it, he knew which room it originated from. His bedroom. A smirk found his face as he opened the door, but it wasn't at all what he was expecting.

Sam was standing in the middle of the room, fully dressed, holding a candle to her angry face. She blew it out, then pressing a button on the remote of Jack's fan, giving light to his bewildered face. "Sam?"

"Close the door."

He chanced a step closer to her. "Sam…"

"Fine, I'll do it," she turned quickly after doing so, crossing her arms, "You're not leaving here until this gets settled."

"Sam, what are you talking about?"

"Daniel. And the tablet. And why the hell we can't go on the mission!"

"I just don't see any good coming from it."

"That's bull, Jack. Tell me the truth."

His face went blank, obviously trying to come up with something to say. "Umm…Carter?"

"Not working, Jack. Talk to me, or I'll walk out of here so fast that you won't be able to get to me—"

"I don't want to lose you, alright? I'm being selfish!" He gazed deeply at her surprised expression.

"That's why you can't go, Sam. I can't lose you."

She knew he wasn't being completely honest with her. She responded with an edge of sarcasm to her voice. "Sweet, but no. You don't show emotion that easy."

'_Damn, she's good.'_

"Sam, we both agreed work would stay at work, and when it was just us, we would be together."

"Too early for make-up sex, Jack."

Mock surprise found his face. "That's not what I meant!" She eyed him. "Entirely."

Now she bought it. Because she'd figured it out.

"So there's something you can't tell me and you're trying to hide it from me," he nodded," But why would you do that?"

"That's a very good question, Sam. I mean, Carter."

A light turned on in her head. "Because it's something classified."

Jack nodded. "Yes. But it definitely has nothing to do with me retiring or wanting to hi-jack the Daedalus."

Sam wasn't sure what she was more surprised at, but it all made her need to sit down. As she finally found her voice, he sat beside her, not but a breath away. _That_ made it easier for her to think. Not.

"You're retiring."

He nodded yes. "No. There is nothing about my retirement that is classified and therefore causing me to give you nonverbal clues to what's really going on."

She smirked at him. He was trying so hard…but this didn't help explain denying the mission. Maybe it would if she let it continue. But how to get the information? She knew how… "Just talk to me, Jack."

"I can't. Hammond and everyone else up there would kill me if they found out you knew—"

"Technically, we're already asking for a court marshal," she kissed him deeply, glad for once that she knew how to exploit her CO. Jack never could resist her, and he didn't plan on starting now. Despite how Jack deepened the kiss, she moved to his ear, playing with it in her mouth. He spoke.

"A convincing argument, Colonel."

She breathed a laugh. "Tell me, then."

Hammond deserved to kill him. Bloodily. But hey, if no one found out about them, maybe this would work, too. He had to tell people at some point…"Alright," he took her hand sin his, her eyes searching his for the answers her mathematical mind was deprived of.

"Yes, I'm retiring. But somehow, I have a feeling they won't want me completely gone."

"What makes you think that?"

"Hammond 'told' me."

"I see."

"Yeah. So, since I've already got security clearance, if they need me, they can pull me in as a civilian. Not to mention I can then legally be with this hot astrophysicist I know."

He knew she'd smile, but the becoming blush of her cheeks while she lowered her head only made him lo9ve her more. Which wasn't possible, but hey. He'd try. When she recovered, Sam pounced on the second half of his confusing statement.

"Now, what about the Daedalus?"

"I want to hi-jack it."

She mouthed the word before she said it. "Why?"

"Because extra ZPMs would be great."

A light of understanding covered her expression. She rambled off her newfound knowledge.

"You had to make a scene because Daniel told you in public. Or, at least in front of other SGC personnel. But you're really all for the mission for SG-1, you just—"

"I wanna go! You guys get all the funs tuff while I'm listening to Siler and pushing paper from the left of my desk to the right to make it look like I did something. I figured reuniting the ORIGINAL SG-1 for this mission would be the right thing to do."

His reward for his witty remark was a soft laugh, followed by a brief silence. Sam thought of something.

"There is _no_ way I'll be able to pilot that thing by myself, though, I mean I only helped design the hyper drive engine, and most of it's Asguard technology anyway. I don't even think I could hotwire it—"

"Sam. Listen to me. A little favor from Thor and some help from Daniel's old friend may be all we need."

"What?"

"Well you see, when I actually did read one of those mission reports, I found out Daniel had a little friend aboard the Prometheus. Her name was Vala, and she could fly that. You help Thor, she helps Teal'c with the Earth tech, and we're fine."

"But until she gets there?"

"Guess you'll figure something out."

He felt a punch land in his shoulder, much harder than he'd been expecting. Military women…

She spoke. "So how do we get our hands on it anyway? Since you seem to have this all figured out."

He returned her smirk. "Well, we can make Thor say the Asguard parts need to be check out and that it'll be done ASAP, and we all stow away and tell everyone we're hanging out in my cabin and won't be reachable. Maybe Thor could just beam us from there, but he can beam us back down, too, and when the Daedalus comes back with the ZPMs, we can say they're a gift from the Asguard."

She was impressed, showing as such when she ran her fingers down the buttons of his shirt. "You really have thought this through, haven't you?"

Jack shrugged, but liked the response he was getting. Maybe he should work on things more often. "I guess."

"So what do I do to make this whole thing work?"

Jack gave her a sideways smile. "Tell you what. You leave that to me to figure out, and you can do something else you're so good at—"

Sam was way ahead of him. She kissed him.

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Daniel about exploded in his apartment when Sam told him. She'd made sure he wasn't at the SGC and came around to explain things. It could've gone better in hell.

"Uh…no, Sam! There's absolutely NO way it'll work, and I'm not asking Vala for a favor EVER. I'm sorry Jack's getting stir crazy up there in his office, but I'm not risking my job for this. He should just approve the mission."

Sam rolled her eyes. She knew as soon as Jack told her that convincing Daniel would be hard. But Jack got Thor. They'd flipped a coin. Realizing she'd won the easier complaint, and being grateful Daniel had an exploitable weakness, she tried again. After praying for Jack, of course, knowing full well he had _such_ a way with words…

"Daniel. Think about it. ZPMs. Come on, it'll be like old times. You, me, Jack, Teal'c—"

"And **her**. Not happening, Sam. What makes you think Thor's gonna agree?"

"Jack's talking with him."

He raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think Thor's gonna agree?"

"Very funny. Come on, he's retiring anyway; let the man have his fun. You're getting what you want. Jack's been stuck in the office for—"

Daniel realized something about her speech. "Okay, wait a second. You just called him 'Jack' three times in the span of," he checked his watch, "Two minutes. Care to explain?"

Sam had even noticed, it'd come so naturally. She thought hard, trying not to let it show. Stammering, she answered, "Well…uh, that's his name, isn't it?"

"Yes, but he's your CO, technically you can't call him that."

He wasn't buying it. She tried to shrug it off. "Sure I can."

"Is there something else going on that I should know about?"

"No," was her all-too-quick reply.

Her performance was less than convincing, especially to someone who knew her as well as Daniel.

"There _is_ something else that I should know about. Something happened with Jack, didn't it?"

No response. "Come on, you said it yourself, he's retired now—"

"Not officially."

"So you could still get in trouble, meaning something most definitely happened. Just—"

"Look, if you say you'll go, I'll tell you." Teenage bribery, yes, but hey, if the shoe fits…

He took a surprised stance, adjusting his glasses as his eyebrows furrowed, though he was completely amused. "Someone's gone elementary on me."

Okay, so it was more elementary than juvenile, but whatever! She was getting to him, and she knew it. "If it works, call it what you will."

Though it was against his better judgment, he'd wanted to go the whole time. Sounded like fun. Now he got to hear something good, too, hopefully about his favorite couple. "Alright, Sam. You win. I'll go. But make sure Vala knows I didn't want her tagging along."

"Okay."

Silence. She hoped he'd forget their deal, knowing he wouldn't. "Now spill."

'_Damn it…'_

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Thor was definitely the hardest to convince, though he agreed, mumbling something about "power hungry inferior beings". Nevertheless, everyone bought the repair bluff hook, line, and sinker. Speaking of fishing, they all said they'd be in Minnesota, but their cells would be on them at all times, though reception could be "questionable over there". Teal'c was on board as soon as he returned from Takara, and Jack was ready as soon as his resignation was final. General Landry would be in on Monday. Thor beamed them from Minnesota on Friday night. They had two days, one of which was spent getting Vala at her current "residence". Otherwise, SG-1 would be called back into duty, and they wouldn't be there. Explaining everything to everyone was NOT an ideal situation.

Needless to say, with Thor, Sam, and Teal'c trying to fly the Daedalus all by themselves, Jack got bored. Okay, bored was three hours ago. He didn't know what to call the lack of mental excitement he'd been stuck in forever. Like a living coma. In a big, gray box. Flying box. Even better. Tired of comparing the Daedalus to colored cardboard, he sat on the floor in front of the large window of blurring stars. Lying down on the _very_ uncomfortable tile, he complained aloud.

"Are we there yet? You'd think with hyperspace engines we'd get there faster than a family car trip."

"No, GeneralO'Neill, we are not 'there yet'. I will alert you when we are."

"Teal'c. I'm retired. Call me Jack."

He arched an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his face. "I am not yet accustomed to that title, O'Neill."

"It's called my name, but that's alright, T. We'll work on that," he looked around at the other stoic faces in the room, "Seems like we'll have plenty of time…"

"Jack?"

"Yeah, Daniel?"

"Shut up."

"Alright, someone's cranky."

Noticing Daniel had another book out and was still staring at the damn tablet, Jack got slightly interested. He moved over to where Daniel sat, looking over his shoulder as he scribbled in his notebook.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Trying to find clues as to where we should look for the ZPMs. There's something small after the gate address that I didn't see before, but—"

"Yeah, here's a question for ya. How do we know where we're going? We have a gate address."

"Thor was kind enough to help us with that."

"Right. So who's helping him down there?"

"Sam."

"But she's doing navigational up here."

"Well, until Vala gets here, they're all doing double duty. That's where she ran off to just now."

"She's gotta be tired."

"Probably," Daniel smirked to himself, trying to concentrate on his work but remembering what Sam had told him instead. Getting fired would be worth hearing about what had happened from Sam.

Jack noticed Daniel's cell ph one was next to the tablet, on and waiting for a call. He laughed aloud, acutely aware of Carter re-entering the room and staring at him.

"Daniel, you brought your cell? _Here_? What service are you gonna use? ET&T?"

Sam smiled, Teal'c pretended to understand, and Daniel continued to translate.

"How long have you been waiting to say that, Jack?"

"A good couple of hours now. Why?"

Daniel's reply was cut off by feminine laughter and a lurch of ship, signaling their exit from hyperspace. Sam pulled herself together as Thor came over the PA system.

"Should we contact Vala to assure she is at the designated coordinates?"

"Just do it, Thor. She'll be there, trust me," was Daniel's sour reply. She was the only hitch on this trip down memory lane.

"I will beam her onto the main deck, you should see her clearly soon."

A flash of light faded to reveal a woman in clingy black leather pants and matching boots, a jack slung over her exposed right shoulder, an off the shoulder tan half shirt tapering off to a point near her naval. Her hair was up with a few strands hanging down, a near sensual smile on her face.

"Well, do I get a kiss, Daniel, or should I come by your room later tonight so you can show me how much you missed me?"

He glanced up, trying not to look embarrassed. "Hello, Vala. Feel free to lock yourself in a room until we get there."

"Yes, that was quite fun the last time, wasn't it?"

When he didn't reply, she began walking over to Sam to take control of that station, stopping briefly to pat Daniel on the shoulder.

"Good to know I _was_ missed, though, Daniel." No response. "I've been looking forward to this."

"You couldn't stop there, could you?"

"Not when we both know you like it."

Sam failed at hiding her amusement, but showed Vala the difference between the Prometheus and the Daedalus nonetheless. She was done in a matter of minutes, and sprinted off to help Thor. Jack couldn't help smiling to himself as the thought.

'_Hmm…hot alien chick and the Spacemonkey…things are looking up in the entertainment department.'_

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Sorry it took me so long, but it's a long chapter. Hopefully you guys like the way it's going, I know it's fun to write, just let me know if it's fun to read! How do you do that? REVIEW of course!

…okay that was terrible, sorry. Just click the button and tell me what you think! More story? No more story? Start new story? Let me know, okay?


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Thanks again for reviewing my stuff, and to let you know, this is after last season and before the current one. So yes, there will be some similarities and some foreshadowing to things that have already happened in the current series but not in this story. Does that make sense? I hope so. And btw about the current series, that whole "I'm hungry" line from Jack was just clever. I love it!

**Disclaimer:** THEY'RE MINE! No, not really, I promise. Just this story. And that's all. Really, it is. I promise!

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The rest of the flight was near uneventful, except for the regular repartee between the "lovebirds" as Jack had begun calling Daniel and Vala. Lots must have changed if Vala would even _consider_ being interested in Daniel. Well, maybe not…they already bickered like an old married couple. Jack smirked at the word. Marriage. Sam's voice came over the PA.

"We're approaching the planet, sir."

"Okay…great! Now what?"

"I don't know, this is Daniel's expertise."

Jack looked at Daniel. "Well, said expert should start explaining, methinks."

Daniel looked up. "Right. So the first thing we should do a scan for energy signals."

Sam answered. "Thor already did, not much but by Baal's palace.'

Jack arched an eyebrow. "Palace?"

"For lack of a better term, yes, palace."

"Okay. Palace."

He could hear the slight irritation in her voice. "So now what, Daniel?"

"Well, our best bet would be to go to the strongest energy signal and start looking around."

Jack got up from the ground, a little too light on his feet to have been on such a long flight. "Then beam us up, Scottie. Or, down, rather."

"Wait, just a second, Jack," Daniel held his hand out as he read the tablet with a magnifying glass's aid, "The text at the bottom says something about a series of caves and caverns shielding treasure."

Vala moved from her post to lean on Daniel's shoulder.  
Oh boy, I love a good treasure hunt. Where do we start?"

Thor spoke, apparently over his anger enough to offer an opinion. "Perhaps I should scan the planet for geographical structures with unnatural substances."

"Sounds good, Thor. How long will that take?"

"A few minutes, O'Neill."

"Alrighty then. Suit up, kids. We're movin' out."

Daniel had to admit, it was starting to feel like the old days. That is, it would be if Vala weren't there, butting into everything. But sometimes, the present situation can be better than the past. Shaking the thought from his head and deliberately not looking at Vala, he followed Jack out. "You coming Teal'c?"

"In a moment, DanielJackson."

Vala hung back as she saw Teal'c pressing buttons. Daniel was getting tiring. Sort of. Well, not exactly, she just wondered how many heads she could get inside on this little trek. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure our presence is undetected and that our stealth was successful."

Vala laid her head on his shoulder, breathing deeply. "They can't see us, can they?"

"No," he looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Is there a reason why you are in such close proximity to my shoulder?"

"Well, nice guys finish last, but you seem strong enough to be a winner…"

Teal'c didn't move. "To what are you referring? Is there a race somewhere I should know of?"

When Vala didn't have an answer right away, Teal'c moved toward the artillery room, sending Vala hurling toward the hard floor.

"I must ready for the mission. You might consider it as well."

Teal'c left to an exasperated Vala, who was muttering under her breath. "Well I give up. Jack's taken; Teal'c's a walking statue…" the same old smile spread across her mouth as she stood, calling down the hall, "Daniel? Perhaps you could help me with those vests, I never can get them tight enough for my liking."

She hadn't expected an answer, but as she rounded the corner, she caught an arm full of bulletproof vest. "Do it yourself, Vala. My offer to lock you in the bathroom still stands."

Putting herself to rights, she blew a strand of hair out of her face. She murmured to herself before proceeding.

"No fun."

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Jack suited up, as he knew he should, but couldn't help but asking Teal'c a few questions. "So…if the Jaffa rebellion was successful…how come we need guns and all that jazz?"

Teal'c answered as he put on his vest. "Not all the Jaffa have heard of our victory yet, and Baal may have some of his other soldiers at his disposal."

"You mean those creepy looking things with the weapons in their arms and the white glowy eye deal? The super soldier things?"

"Indeed."

He looked to Sam. "I hate those guys."

"You and me both. Let's just hope we don't run into any of them."

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Once on the planet, they were careful to keep their stealth. Jack, of course, was leading their trek through the woods, looking for the cave Daniel described and Thor had found. Well, located would be more of an accurate term for what he did. It was still a mile to get there, seeing as it was near Baal's newly dubbed "palace". Everyone had their machine guns and P-90's in their possession. As for Vala, Daniel gave her a P-90 after constant badgering that he wanted her dead and wasn't even decent enough to give her the smallest gun to attempt to defend herself with. So he forked it over to her "flattered" response. "Oh, Daniel, you do care."

"No, Sam shouldn't have to do two jobs on the way back."

Sam turned around, calling over her shoulder with a smile. "Aw, Daniel, you do care."

Daniel smirked back at her, and though Jack knew it was all playful jest to make Vala angry, which was working…Sam was his girl. Vala noticed the small difference in his eyes and commented.

"But Daniel, Sam's taken. You wouldn't want to make Jack angry, he _is_ the stronger of the two of you."

Everyone stopped and looked at Vala while Sam and Jack, who had been walking side-by-side and casually chatting, took a step away from each other. Sam tried to laugh it off. "What?"

"Come on, you'd have to be blind not to see it. You're a Colonel, not an actress, Sam."

Having no reply, no one was more relieved to hear Daniel's declaration but her. Or maybe Jack, who wasn't sure to take that as a compliment to his brawn or an insult to everything else. Sam and Daniel…that was laughable…

"Guys, I think I found something."

Jack snapped out of his staring match with Vala to answer him. "Great! What is it?"

"I think it's the entrance to the cave."

Sam joined him. "What makes you think that?"

"The inscription up here is in Ancient," he pointed to the writing above what looked to be a door. With no "handle".

The rest of the team caught up with him. And waited. After a few moments of silence, Jack spoke.

"Okay…what's it say?"

"The wise will enter here."

He nodded. "Alright then. Everybody…think wise thoughts."

As Teal'c' was preparing to do so, Daniel noticed something near the door. "Wait a minute…" he dug out the tablet and moved to the ground in front of the door. Covered in fallen leaves was a stone niche, about as deep as the tablet. Daniel didn't move though; he was obviously thinking. Or at least it was obvious to those who'd known him 9 years plus. Vala, on the other hand, was impatient.

"Well, come on now, put it in."

"Wait," Daniel dusted off the remainder of the leaves to see two more inscriptions on either side of the niche. It was now apparent that the stone reached the entrance of the cave. On one side were inscriptions in Ancient, and on another were inscriptions of Goa'uld. Teal'c saw this and commented.

"Should you not face the Ancient side of the tablet to the Ancient inscriptions, Dr.Jackson?"

"No, any fool could match symbols, but the saying above the door indicates a wise man."

"Wouldn't the wise man 'just do it'?" Jack added.

"Not if it wasn't right, Jack," Daniel started to read the inscriptions carved in the stone on the ground and nodded once, "The writings in Ancient match those in Goa'uld on the tablet, and vice versa, so if I put it in like so," the ground shook as the tablet left Daniel's hand and fell into place. The cave was dark, a musty smell coming from within it.

Daniel finished his sentence. "It should open the cave."

Jack began walking to the entrance, bending over as he passed by Daniel to pat him on the back. "Way to go, Spacemonkey."

Smirking at his old nickname, Daniel arose and followed Sam and Teal'c. "Hated that name then, too."

He then remembered the difference between the two times and looked back to see Vala, loosely holding a loaded gun at her side with her hip stuck out, her other arm across her chest.

"You coming?"

"You want me to go in there."

"Yes."

"Right now."

"Yes, that would be the idea."

"Daniel, it's dark in there. I don't want to go in there—"

In reply to her response, he flipped on the flashlight on his machine gun and shone it in her eyes. She squinted and jumped, slightly irked when she saw it was Daniel. "Come on, Vala, it's a flashlight. It's not like it's gonna burn you to death."

With that, Daniel left, knowing she would follow. "I didn't know it was you I mean…well…alright fine, I'm coming."

"Good. I was about to get Teal'c to carry you over his shoulder."

As Vala entered, she ran up next to Daniel. "I hate you. You know that."

"Of course you do, that's why you're hitting on me all the time."

"Oh, will you just stop it?"

Daniel couldn't resist. "Not when we both know you like it."

With that, they fell silent, Jack holding his forearm up to stop them all. "Hey Daniel? This is supposed to be an undiscovered cave, right?"

"Well, technically yes, but it is possible Baal found it and—"

"Because I think we might have company soon."

"Why, what do you see?"

Daniel moved to the front and stared at what seemed to be a Goa'uld artillery room, a few items missing but nonetheless in tact. They would have to go through or around Baal's ship to get to the ZPMs. And that was if they were lucky.

"How much time do we have until we need to get back, Carter?"

She checked her watch. "About three hours sir, why?"

"We need to move if we're gonna get back in time. Any ideas Daniel?"

No response. Jack tried again. "Daniel?"

He jogged up to meet them. "I think Baal built into the most direct route from here, but there's another way, I just came from there."

Jack shrugged. "Works for me. Grab a few zats and let's move out."

And off they went, four people who knew exactly what they were doing after many years together in the field, and one newcomer, trying to adjust to the way they teased about certain subjects and not others, and how they read each others minds and decided things with a few words here and there. She sighed and picked up a zat. "Oh well. On with the show."

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Hope you like! Review and let me know!


	7. Chapter 7

**Apology:** Sorry it's been so long since I've last written! I've rediscovered my own sci-fi trilogy and I just finished the first book in it and have started the second. So yeah. That's why I've been busy. But here it is, sorry for the wait, so I'll just get right into it. :D

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"How much time do we have until we need to get back, Carter?"

She checked her watch. "About three hours sir, why?"

"We need to move if we're gonna get back in time. Any ideas Daniel?"

No response. Jack tried again. "Daniel?"

He jogged up to meet them. "I think Baal built into the most direct route from here, but there's another way, I just came from there."

Jack shrugged. "Works for me. Grab a few zats and let's move out."

And off they went, four people who knew exactly what they were doing after many years together in the field, and one newcomer, trying to adjust to the way they teased about certain subjects and not others, and how they read each others minds and decided things with a few words here and there. She sighed and picked up a zat. "Oh well. On with the show."

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Daniel stopped abruptly, finally finding inscriptions on a wall across a large opening. As the rest of the team came to a screeching halt, Daniel ventured into the large stone "room", torches suddenly blazing to light his way. A golden pedestal stood proudly in the center of a silver-laden circle of riches. As Jack led the rest of everyone into the room, he spoke.

"Find something?"

"Possible. This story seems to be in both Ancient and Goa'uld, alternating every few words."

Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay. A wild guess says that one of these things is not like the other."

"Probably."

Vala snorted. "Well you're definitive," a jewel crown caught her eyes, "Ooo…that looks fun…" she muttered to herself, finding lower ground near it, hiding herself from everyone else's view.

Sam was examining the pedestal when Teal'c tried to aid Daniel in a small piece of the translation. She noticed a small indention for a few finders on either side of the platform. Curious, she placed her fingers in, feeling an electrical shock course through her body, causing her to let go. Jack caught her, rubbing his hands down her arms, friendly but concerned. "You okay, Carter?"

A false smile crossed her face. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

Daniel walked over to it, doing the same thing, but this time, the pedestal opened up as a small light from deep inside announced the presence of a rising ZPM. Daniel smirked. "I knew it."

Jack looked at him sarcastically. "Care to share?"

"The writings on the wall over there say something to the effect of 'Only the righteous may remove the riches', which I figured meant there was a security measure to detect the presence of a Goa'uld in a person."

"Carter doesn't have a snake in her head—"

"But the marker left by Jolinar must have been sensed by some Ancient device in the place where I put my hands."

"Exactly," Daniel confirmed.

Jack, feeling rather inadequate and unneeded in this conversation between two geniuses, decided to give his two cents.

"Then how the heck were you able to bring up the ZPM? You're not Ancient."

"No, I'm not, but I am scheduled to leave with the Daedalus for Atlantis, and they injected a bit of the Ancient gene in me, enough to last the trip until I arrive in the Pegasus Galaxy."

"Oh," was the reply.

Vala was still tinkering around with the crown and many other jewels she'd found when Teal'c said something. "I hear something. Someone is coming down the corridor we entered through."

Sam and Jack took defensive positions and Daniel looked for a way out. "There's gotta be another way…there's never just one way!"

"Well you see, Daniel, there's this thing called reality. It's not always perfect."

"Shut up, Jack, it's probably Baal's faithful servants and they will most likely kill us!"

He shrugged, steadying his P90. "I'm aware of that."

Teal'c stood by the entrance, ready to zat whoever came through. Sam breathed heavily, as she could see who it was from her position. Knowing Jack could take care of himself wasn't enough to calm her shaking nerves. This time, it would be worse if she lost him. There was potential now. A connection deep within them both that longed for what could be their reality, very soon at that. And if Baal got a hold of him again…she shuddered to think what he'd do. The white, glowing eyes rounding the corner were of no help to calm her down. Going back to the soldier she'd become, she nodded to Teal'c. His bowed head confirmed that he understood. He shot the zat, but the soldier did not fall to the ground. It retaliated with a zat blast of its own, bringing Teal'c down to a writhing mass on the floor.

Sam blinked back, her hair falling into her eyes; but her vision was still good enough for her to realize another super soldier was coming. Jack gave the command to fire, but the roar of the gunshots was nothing to the two well-aimed zat blasts that left all of SG-1 but Daniel immobilized. Vala peered over the riches she hid behind, and Daniel mouthed "No," to her, causing her to retreat to her previous hiding space. Jack opened his big mouth, talking to Daniel, not realizing he'd been trying to communicate with Vala.

"See…how did we miss them?"

Ignoring Jack, Daniel tried to reason with their attackers.

"Hi, we're explorers, we came through the gate but all we found was this cave and we're really sorry if we intruded on your lands or anything, but I assure you, that was not my intent. You see I'm—"

An all-too-familiar voice greeted him. "I know who you are, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel stood in shock as he gazed in disbelief at Baal, who was walking with an escort of a few more super soldiers. "And I want to thank you for finding this ZPM for me. Anubis will be very pleased."

"There's no way he's going to get it. Besides, what good will it do? There's no way he could have Ancient technology without the others knowing and—"

Baal raised a finger, crooking it slightly forward to call on the end of his ramblings, another well-aimed zat blast. Baal took the ZPM in his hands as the super soldiers threw their respective members of SG-1 over their shoulders, carrying them off. Baal, taking one last look at the room, gave a superior smile as he examined the ZPM, knowing Anubis would be very happy with him. He snickered to himself. "Daniel Jackson…thinks he knows everything."

As the sounds of footsteps faded, Vala stood up, ankle deep in riches, but for the first time in her life, she didn't care. Sighing slightly and putting her hands on her hips, she blew a strand of hair out of her face, slightly irked. "Well, I guess it's up to me to save the day…and that last bit didn't sound very good…" she shrugged again, "Hmm."

And with that, started down the tunnels, careful not to follow too closely behind, but hoping she could at least see where they were going. No such luck, she lost them as soon as they'd come to the armory room. Breathing deep, she readied her ZPM in her hand. "Well, here goes nothing…"

Vala had never been good with stealth. Or subtlety. But she was determined, and by God, that was going to be enough. It had to be.

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Sorry for the delay, lots to do. I just finished the first book in my own sci-fi trilogy, 220 pages on the computer, and then I had to plan the second, which is going to be difficult…but oh well. So that's why I've been so late with this chapter, sorry there isn't more to it than this. But never fear, more twill be near:D

Now review. Please.

And yes I know, that rhyme was cheesy.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Thanks again for the reviews, they're much appreciated! Now hopefully, you guys haven't lost interest in this story, and just to see how many people are reading…is it selfish to ask for a review from everyone this time? I'm just curious, really, and you don't have to write much. Just tell me if it's good or not. Going through a bit of a time where I wonder if I actually _can_ write, so yeah. That's what's spurring this on. Please review for me!

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As the sounds of footsteps faded, Vala stood up, ankle deep in riches, but for the first time in her life, she didn't care. Sighing slightly and putting her hands on her hips, she blew a strand of hair out of her face, slightly irked. "Well, I guess it's up to me to save the day…and that last bit didn't sound very good…" she shrugged again, "Hmm."

And with that, started down the tunnels, careful not to follow too closely behind, but hoping she could at least see where they were going. No such luck, she lost them as soon as they'd come to the armory room. Breathing deep, she readied her ZPM in her hand. "Well, here goes nothing…"

Vala had never been good with stealth. Or subtlety. But she was determined, and by God, that was going to be enough. It had to be.

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When SG-1 regained their consciousness, three found themselves in strange positions while Jack O'Neill knew exactly where he was and what was going to happen. To them all…to her. Not trying to resist the reverse gravity or the shackles around his ankles, he looked to his right and saw her. Maneuvering to grab her hand, he squeezed it tightly, not having to say a word. They both knew what it meant: they were still in this together.

Leave it to Jack to try and lighten even _this_ mood. He sighed slightly, looking up at the ceiling of gold. "Daniel…why did you have to go into your whole 'We come in peace' spiel?"

"Because I thought it might've been helpful. I didn't know Baal was—"

"Helpful? No, Daniel. Helpful would've been shooting your gun and being _out_ of my line of fire."

"Well Jack, I'm sorry, I thought that—"

"See, that's the problem. Don't think so much."

Even Teal'c couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in entertainment. The feuding friends were quite hysterical no matter where they were. Daniel knew he was smarter but would never flaunt it, and Jack O'Neill would never cease to be just that: Jack O'Neill. Sam piped up with a question.

"So…what happens now?

"We die."

Her and Daniel exclaimed together. "We WHAT?"

"Yep, we die in some new, inventive, and incredibly painful way only to be brought back to life for more by a lovely little sarcophagus."

His sardonic nature wasn't at all surprising, but what shocked them all into silence was the truthfulness of his words. They all knew what he'd been through, Daniel more than any of them. The archaeologist seemed to shrink into himself, contemplating what would happen and why the hell he hadn't stayed Ascended. Not really, but it was a thought. Teal'c had endured worse than this, not by much, but worse still. He simply put on an indifferent face, hiding behind his training as a warrior to be free from such weak things as fear. As for Sam, she found herself staring into Jack's eyes; unsure of whom she was more concerned for. Still holding hands, they gripped each other hard. Jack shrugged, now obviously out of his morbid tone of before.

"Don't worry about it. Vala's still free, we'll be outta here in no time."

As if on cue, Vala was lead in a side door by two of Baal's trusty stooges. They shackled her like the rest of SG-1, by ankles and reversed gravity, and started to leave. One had trouble with this, needing the assistance of the other to get to the door. They both left, their work having been completed for the time being. All stunned, Vala flashed a weak smile, giving a reason for her capture. "Oops."

Daniel hit his head against the wall, harder than he'd meant to, for the moment he tried to move it forward it went slamming back. Swearing at that as much as her, he yelled. "Dammit, Vala! What the _hell_ is your PROBLEM?"

"Well, stealth was never my strongest point—"

"Quite apparent, thanks!"

This newest fit of bickering was interrupted as Baal himself stepped in front of them. Obviously not affected by th3e gravity change. Motioning at Sam, she was seized by one of Vala's captors and led away, much to Jack's despair.

"Baal! Leave her outta this! Take me, we've done this before, I know the drill—"

"Exactly, O'Neill. We _have_ done this before. Samantha Carter, however, has not."

And with the vilest smirk of a demon, Baal continued out, despite Jack's yelled, and very far from empty threats.

"If you lay a HAND on her I will KILL you with my own! I don't need a gun, I'll just strangle the life from you!"

The door slammed, and Vala spoke, breaking the otherwise serious mood. "Well, as fun as this is, I'm all for getting the hell out of here," she revealed a personal shield that cut her chains and allowed her to walk to the panel. She shut off the gravity and struck a confident, cocky pose, one hand positioned defiantly on her hip. "What can I say? It's a gift."

Moving to help the astounded guys, well, Teal'c more pleased than fascinated, Daniel started rationalizing as she worked on his shackles. "You got yourself captured on purpose so you could snatch the shielding technology from one of the guards and free us all."

"Exactly. I had absolutely no way of knowing where they'd taken you, and if I made myself look stupid, the last thing they'd do would be to thoroughly _search_ me, especially for something of their own making," she released one of his ankles, "Though seeing you chained here does give me a few fun options…"

"Vala, don't even think about it."

"Too late, Daniel."

Jack, being the oldest and supposedly wisest, foresaw something that would make him want to vomit if he didn't act fast. "Hey Vala? Less chatter, more lock picking."

Once they were all freed, Jack thought rationally. "We need to get back to the armory where there'll at least be Zats, and hopefully our weapons as well."

"What about choking the life out of Baal with your bare hands? I daresay that sounded fun."

"Well Vala, that requires close range, and I'm not sure I can take that chance right now. After that we'll find Sam, I'm pretty sure I know where he's taking her."

"How?" Daniel asked.

"You should know, too! The place where they took _me_ to torture me! Baal would enjoy the idea of getting two of SG-1 broken in the same place, she _has_ to be there."

Though the task seemed difficult, the found the armory with little difficulty, seeing as it was only a few doors down from their containment cell. Vala, the first done with the suiting up (their weapons had been inside), saw something that caught her eye across the hall. Cameras. As the guys followed her in, she heard them start to argue. "When did they get cameras?"

Daniel used his brain. "Probably after you escaped the first time."

Jack shook his head once. "Oh."

Teal'c decided to contribute. "The cameras appear only to be positioned in rooms that are of importance. No hallways are monitored."

"Well at least we have that going for us," Jack scanned the screens, looking for her, "There. Last camera on the right, top row."

Teal'c stood guard as Vala found the volume and her, Daniel, and Jack started to watch.

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"You're pathetic, you know that? We beat the Replicators, we beat the Goa'uld, and this is your sorry attempt at revenge. Pathetic."

"I do not attempt to change your opinion of me, only to explain a few things to you. The Goa'uld will never be gone; the System Lords have simply taken their own well beings into account. The ZPM you so graciously donated will be an asset to our new armies."

He let a knife go, and it landed squarely in her chest. She would not give him the pleasure of seeing her in pain. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The reason the our new soldiers were not our only force as soon as they were discovered is because they are manufactured by an interfacing of Goa'uld and Ancient technology, and so naturally, it needs power from a—"

"ZPM." Sam understood now. They'd taken the keys to the universe and handed them back to the Goa'uld on a silver platter.

"Very good, Samantha," and he let two more knifes fly at her, one getting her in the right thigh and one missing her left hand.

Sam knew what she had to do, but there had to be an opportunity for it. When a super soldier came through the door and commanded Baal's attention, she knew she had to work fast. Grabbing the knife nearest her, she noticed how small it was. It would fit easily in her side. Gouging a space for it, she slid it in, moving another missed knife to where the other used to be. It hurt more than she could've imagined, but it had to be done. Once the knife was in deep enough, she allowed herself a cry of pain, knowing it was only a matter of time before she died. Looking at Baal, she saw him smirk, and Sam let her words fly.

"You ungrateful son of a bitch you deserve worse than hell itself. Kill me if you can."

With that, Samantha Carter went limp, and was removed from the wall.

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Jack's hands were shaking. She was…she was dead. Temporarily, yes, that last comment made sure of it, but…she inflicted such pain upon herself…why the hell would she kill herself? Sam had obviously committed suicide when Baal's attention was elsewhere…why would she do that? Daniel merely placed a hand on his shoulder, but Jack shrank away from it as quickly as he could. He didn't want to breathe. A gaping hole was in his heart, swallowing everything inside of him…the best part of him was dead. He searched the cameras desperately for a sarcophagus, finding one near but not in use. They needed to stake it out.

Daniel tried again, this time verbally, to comfort his friend. "Jack…Sam's got a plan, you know she does. The best thing we can do right now is search for the ZPM and stop what he's trying to do."

"No. We won't have a clue how that damned thing works, we need Sam for that."

"Jack, think rationally, we only need to take out the ZPM, it's not rocket science—"

"We need her!" His voice was louder than it should have been, but luckily there was no guard alerted. Vala tried her hand at consoling him.

"Honestly, Jack, what would Sam want you to do?"

"Go and get her! Because I promised her I WOULD!"

"And when did you say those exact words to her—"

"When I MARRIED her!"

Silence. Utter silence. _Uncomfortable _silence. Teal'c raised an eyebrow. Vala cocked her head. Daniel nearly fainted. As the oldest companion of Jack got his ability to speak back, he stuttered out a question.

"W-when you d-did what?"

"When I _married_ her, Daniel. We did it ourselves."

"Then you're not really married."

"Yes, we are! I got a marriage license, and we signed our names, recited vows and everything," Jack saw him look at his left hand, "We're still working on the rings."

Daniel found himself at a loss for coherent thought, and so resorted to a very Jack-like tactic. "What the hell! When? Where? Why didn't I know about this?"

"Because we promised to keep it a secret, Daniel. And personally, I don't have any interest in explaining my love life to you right now, but I do care about getting my wife's life back. So here's an idea: You guys go and get the ZPM, and I'm gonna find Sam. Radio silence unless help is desperately needed. Channel 8."

"Jack, do you know what you're doing?" Daniel asked.

"Nope."

Teal'c gave him a pat on the shoulder, a smile playing on his face. "Congratulations on your wedding to Samantha Carter. You will be very happy."

Jack smiled back, suddenly a little raised in spirit. "Thanks, Teal'c. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a rather long 'Honey-Do' list."

And when he departed, all his common sense stayed with them. The others started out, knowing exactly where they were going and what to do, while Jack had a vague idea of where the sarcophagus was and no idea what in the hell he was going to do once he got there. Praying to God Sam was alive by now; he hoped she had a plan. "Come on, Sam…don't let me down this time."

She wouldn't. She'd promised him. For better, for worse.

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Like the twist? I do! Hope it thoroughly surprised you all, tried not to hint to it _too_ much, but I did give you a vague idea of what might have happened when they were all on the Daedalus in Chapter 6! Hopefully this'll mean LOTS of reviews!

So do it. Click the pretty little button and tell me what you think!

And don't worry. Jack's love life _does_ get explained. :D Now review!


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **Sorry it's been so long since I've last written, I know you've probably all been dying to see how this thing'll wrap up, and so here I go! This'll probably be the second to last chapter, and I might write an epilogue, depending on if the reviews warrant the need for one. But nonetheless, I hope you haven't all given up on me yet! Here's the next chapter in the saga…

-akiko-dono

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Teal'c gave him a pat on the shoulder, a smile playing on his face. "Congratulations on your wedding to Samantha Carter. You will be very happy."

Jack smiled back, suddenly a little raised in spirit. "Thanks, Teal'c. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a rather long 'Honey-Do' list."

And when he departed, all his common sense stayed with them. The others started out, knowing exactly where they were going and what to do, while Jack had a vague idea of where the sarcophagus was and no idea what in the hell he was going to do once he got there. Praying to God Sam was alive by now; he hoped she had a plan. "Come on, Sam…don't let me down this time."

She wouldn't. She'd promised him. For better, for worse.

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Sam awoke to a blinding flash of light and a sound of some complex airlock. Shaking her head slightly, she shivered at the strange sensation washing over her…it felt as if a warm liquid were burning her from the inside out, slowly coating her skin like thick oil. Trying to form a coherent thought, her mouth mumbled to itself.

"Jack…"

Begrudgingly, she opened her eyes, feeling a cold metal cool on her arm. It shocked her back into reality, and she knew exactly where she was. She grabbed the knife and shoved it in her loose clothing, which were **_NOT_** her BDUs by any stretch of the imagination. A golden corset fitted her figure a little too closely with reams of glittering silk twisted around her waist. This is where the only silver in her attire was: the knife. The same fabric twisted around her arms, linking at two golden bracelets. A shining headpiece lay in her hair, a small orb of gold in the middle of her forehead, dangling from a chain of the same color. She was going to have a talk with Baal…

Clanking metal echoed through the hall leading to her room as she climbed out of the sarcophagus. Standing flat against the wall the door was on, she hoped against hope there was only one guard.

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Jack's hastened step had become an all-out sprint as he tracked two of the remaining loyal Jaffa, who were hopefully headed to get Sam. Everything looked eerily familiar, even though he knew it was impossible for him to have recollections from when he was dead. But still…the familiarity with which he walked the halls struck something in him. Nothing was okay anymore. He felt…cold. And then a warm, burning sensation slid down his skin. He was remembering the sarcophagus. That thing was _not_ fun. Shaking his head, he remembered the task at hand, in which he found a good enough reason to come out of himself: Sam.

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Damn, there were two of them completely clad in wonderfully resistant armor. She was screwed. Unless…

The door slid open and Sam jammed her knife where she the Jaffa's neck would be. It didn't do anything, but it at least gave her enough time to rip the staff weapon from his grasp, knocking the other down and turning on the defenseless Jaffa. Two ZAT blasts hit he Jaffa square in the back; he crumpled to the ground to reveal an aiming, righteously pissed off Jack O'Neill. He took care of the conscious Jaffa before lowering his weapon, looking into Sam's eyes with nothing but pure relief.

"You're alive."

"You're okay…but how?"

"Vala had a few more tricks up her sleeve."

"And Daniel and Teal'c?"

"Just fine. You're the one we were worried about," glancing at her attire, he shrugged, taking an amused stance, "But then again, diva, we really wouldn't have if we'd known you'd simply gone clubbing."

Another well-deserved punch was en route to Jack's shoulder as he caught her wrist, moving to kiss the amusement out of her. Nothing elaborate, nothing overdone, just a simple reminder of how much she meant to him, and how afraid he'd been. They both knew this could convey their mutual concern better than any words in any language, but Jack thought he might have to consult Daniel about that before making any claims. As he pulled away, Sam moved to enter the sarcophagus room.

Jack grabbed her around the waist, trying not to enjoy his hand rubbing against her bare midriff too much. "Baal installed security cameras a la SGC, so we're actually safer out here."

"Right. So where's everyone else?"

"Going to secure the gate, which will probably only be as such for a bit longer."

"Let's go," she said, taking the Zat he extended towards her. But as she looked in his eyes, she realized there was something else. "Jack…what aren't you telling me?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Well…you know the whole 'let's keep it a secret' thing…?"

"They know, don't they?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

She smirked at him, landing the cut off punch in his stomach, probably a little too much force behind her knuckles, but he didn't care. She was back.

"Good job, O'Neill."

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Jack was actually mistaken in his assessment of the rest of his team plus Vala. The gate room was unmonitored by cameras, Jaffa, and super soldiers alike. Vala and Daniel wandered around, waiting for Teal'c to find the ZPM. It couldn't be that far…

Nevertheless, the lack of excitement quickly bored Vala, and she turned on Daniel, inquisitive.

"So you really had no idea they were married?"

"Yes, Vala, they didn't even tell _me_. You satisfied now?"

"Seems a bit harsh, really. I mean, what could you have possibly done to offend them so much that they wouldn't even invite you to their wedding?"

"I don't know, Vala, alright?" Daniel was obviously touchier about this subject than Vala had perceived. She softened her tone.

"Sorry, Daniel. Didn't know you'd be so emotional."

"No, Vala, two of my best friends whom an hour ago I would've sworn I 'd known everything about getting married behind my back doesn't bother me at _all_…"

She shrugged, purposely ignoring his sarcasm. "Well. Now that we've gotten that out of the way."

He shook his head quickly once. "Why, Vala? Why must you patronize me this way?"

"Because I know I fascinate you."

Daniel was, for the first time in a good long while, speechless. There was no way he'd ever admit _that_. Well…at least not now. Probably not ever. But not for certain. Daniel had never been so thankful to hear Zat blasts and see Teal'c sprinting toward them with a ZPM tucked under his arm. "They are coming, DanielJackson."

He and Vala aimed their guns at the door Teal'c had sprinted through, Daniel taking a quick survey of the room. The only things there were the Stargate and a few boxes of cargo. Breaking for cover behind a few stacked on top of each other, a new door opened behind Daniel. He turned to see an interestingly clad, but no less alive, Carter and an all-business _not_ Jack standing beside her, both with Zats blaring. They ducked down by Daniel.

"Glad you could join us, Sam," Daniel said between blasts.

"Wouldn't miss it," she looked at Teal'c, "Give me the ZPM and cover me!"

"What are you doing?"

"Getting us the hell outta here, sir!"

Teal'c tossed the ZPM to her as everyone provided Sam with cover fire, Jack too preoccupied to call her on the use of his old title. She dashed for the DHD, finding it unoperational. "Sir! Baal's disabled the DHD. Now I can hotwire it with the ZPM, but—"

"Carter, we need to get in contact with Thor! What good's a gate?"

"He's not answering the radio, Baal's probably blocked it off, but if we can gate to another—"

"Do it Carter!" he bellowed over the super soldier's oh-so-wonderful rapid fire, "Ya got three minutes!"

"That's not enough—"

"It IS NOW!"

Jack had no trouble in believing she could do it. True, it was more than he could ever hope to comprehend, but all he could think about was his return and cover fire. _Think fast, Carter._

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Behind another "cover" (random storage boxes) was a desperate Vala, knowing she'd gotten exactly what she'd asked for. Daniel dove to help her, pressing his back against the containers, getting ready to return fire.

"Exciting enough?"

"You had to say it, didn't you?"

"Like you wouldn't have."

"Now isn't the time for witty banter, Daniel, we happen to be in a bit of a situation here!"

Like a child with ADD, Vala's tone completely changed as she noticed the latch on the storage unit she hid her head behind. "Ooo, what's this?"

"Don't—!"

Vala opened the box to find something amazingly similar to the weapons barely missing their marks. Strapping it on her arm despite Daniel's repeated warnings against it, she felt it clamp into her arm.

"OW!"

"Vala?"

"Nothing, just…snug fit."

"Can you use it?"

"Don't know."

"Well, try it!"

She fired, hitting the third chevron on the gate. It snapped, cracked, and popped, much to Sam's despair. Vala winced, sighing.

"Well…it works…"

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You like? I like! Please review!

-akiko-dono

p.s. and yes, I'm aware that if Sam uses the ZPM to get them out of there that there'll be no possible way for them to use it for Atlantis. I'll explain that in the next chapter, okay? so no flames about that!


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